Physicology/30

Dear friends,

For the first time since I began graduate classes 15 months ago, I feel like I am working. This class I am taking is stressful, confusing, and time consuming. Normally, this might be easy to handle if I hadn't already committed to other projects. Plus, I am traveling to Madison, Wisconsin, this weekend for a friend's wedding, and am anxious about how well I will travel. Most of my time will be spent in the presence of college friends, which sounds really great, but for me adds a bit of stress. Meanwhile, I have gotten a cold, which makes me a little extra tired.

Despite these complaints, I am experiencing some incredible stamina that I haven't had in years. When my friend Joel asked me how often I need to rest (i.e., lie down), I had to think about it for a moment. I realized that I haven't needed to lie down in days. In the last few weeks (which is as far back as I can remember), I have needed to do a little extra resting on the weekends, though the degree of pain and achiness I feel is significantly lower.

Even as I write this, I am baffled. I mean, I never imagined I could be here, feeling this good, doing what I'm doing, meeting the people I am meeting, and participating in God's story like I am. In the last month, I have had more surprises than I know what to do with, more clarity than ever before, more patience, and more faith. There's something inherently beautiful and exciting about life lived carefreely and openly, and I'm sincerely looking forward to what's next.

To the possibilities,

A.